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I've always believed that unless it's in an alternate universe, nothing is really filler. Characters, ideally, are always growing. Not necessarily forward, but upward or inward. Many plot threads from previous episodes came back to help enhance this one - Nako seemed more self-confident, Yuina's attitude towards work had changed a little bit (sure a festival may not be "work", but it is work), the outfits from the past, and so on and so forth. World building is one of the most important aspects of fiction, and without it, this episode would've lacked the nuance it did.

That said, this looks to be Minko's time in the spotlight. Her use as a foil to Ohana has always been clear, but now it's clearer than ever. She seems so logical in her approach towards her work that there appears to be a dry kind of passion. Not the kind that Jiromaru would write about at least. (Being able to compare Jiromaru and Taketo, now that there's a second ero writer on the field, is an interesting exercise.)

I rarely comment on Ko-related happenings, but Ohana's fantasy of him in a maid outfit was interesting. And Beanman has a son. I expect Son of Beanman (or maybe Grandson of Beanman, if he also exists) to be as cool as the original.

Ultimately, Minko's just got the same problem as Yosuke. Even when you're in the right, there's a proper way to go about things. The way the girl was using the cafe as her own personal vehicle was ridiculous but sometimes humoring people is better than leading to a total organizational breakdown.

Although I definitely empathize with Minko here, having been in a group assignment where someone suggest something quite offensive to my sensibility, dealing with it in a non-condescending manner takes a bit of finesse.

Wait, what's this? Do I detect advancement in a major character's arc? Will there be an actual development in Minchi and Tohru's relationship? Could the next episode resolve a storyline?

Ah, who am I kidding. Tohru will get two minutes of screentime next week where he'll make an offhand comment that makes Minchi angry, but instead of saying anything she'll just make a mistake and burn herself or cut her finger.

Although I definitely empathize with Minko here, having been in a group assignment where someone suggest something quite offensive to my sensibility, dealing with it in a non-condescending manner takes a bit of finesse.

OTOH, Minko wasn't quite being honest in her professional assessment about what was wrong with what the girl wanted to do. Minko's one to talk about mixing love and buisness together.

To be honest I think both Minchi and the girl were a little overboard here. The cultural festival is supposed to be all about fun and I think Minchi takes it too seriously. But I think the girl was being a little bit selfish as well. And it looks like neither was willing to compromise so...

Finally, Ko makes his GLORIOUS return... kind of . Is there a single male in this anime that won't be ridiculed at least once? Tohru is the last bastion of masculinity in this show. Don't disappoint me, bro!

There were interesting bits of info distilled here and there in this episode, the most shocking being the revelation that Beanman's got a son. I guess that means we were wrong about him being gay (although it's not impossible he "awakened" after getting married once; happened to someone I knew). Enishi is apparently finally going out with Takako, so we can kiss goodbye to another theory - I'm talking about Enishi x Tomoe. I'm actually relieved as I wouldn't have wanted the awesome Tomoe to end up with such a pathetic man.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable episode. It was the first time in a while the plot seemed to be making progress. Ohana, Yuina (gosh, she is so vain ) and Nako were all very funny in this one. I'm pretty intrigued by the new character (the painter), but I doubt she'll have much relevance, sadly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haak

To be honest I think both Minchi and the girl were a little overboard here. The cultural festival is supposed to be all about fun and I think Minchi takes it too seriously. But I think the girl was being a little bit selfish as well. And it looks like neither was willing to compromise so...

I can understand why that other girl was so frustrated. She got talked down by Minko, the one who "stole" the boy she's loved for years in her eyes. That had to be tough to swallow. Minko was in the wrong this time in my opinion. Why is it that she's so fired up about cooking for the festival? Is it because cooking is always srs business for her? No, that's because she knows Tohru will be coming to see her. She wants to impress him with her cooking, and is essentially intending to do exactly what that other girl wanted to. Her speech was very hypocritical, and I think she realized it after the fact. That's why she'll most likely decide to cook omerice next week.

So it looks like Minko's character arc next. So far so good, at least compared to the other failed arcs. At this point, it really seems like Tohru just is incapable of noticing Minko at all. I mean, he even notices the changes in Nako, but can't notice that Minko, who he's worked beside for a while, hasn't changed?

A lot of minor things also popped up in this episode that seem like they'll definitely come back eventually, like Beanman's son, Tomoe's teasing about Kou, and Ohana's dream about maid-Kou. I don't even want to think about where they're going to go with this, because it always seems to do something different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RegalStar

She doesn't sacrifice work for it, though. When she was told that the dish she wanted to do (broiled fish) cannot be done, she didn't take it badly at all.

Even if she isn't sacrificing work, you could say her motivation for doing the work is because of love. So it's still sort of the same thing, she's mixing work and love together.

Ohana's Bonbori dreams have been used as a foreshadowing tool. Ex. She dreamt about choosing Kissuiso over Kou in episode 10 and it happened in episode 13's temple scene when she yells out "Ja ne" to Kou. I think her latest dream about Kou is another foreshadowing. Some time before this series ends Kou will move to Yunosagi. Who knows, Kou could be Beanman's grandson. Or maybe Ohana's wish is for she and Kou to be together and the fox goddess will grant it during the Bonbori festival. Remember what Enishi said - only hardworking people will have their wishes granted - and I can't think of a better example of hardworking than choosing work over your man.

Nice job by Ohana to use the old waitress outfits for the cafe. Lol what was with her dream. Best part was when Tomoe brought up Ko's name and Ohana went on about being a Shijima girl, but Nako pointed out that she's not a Shijima girl from her name.

Lol Minchi was against in until Tohru said he'd drop by. That fight was a little too much for me. THough doesn't Minchi always screw up when thinking about Tohru and cooking. Look at that knife scene in the beginning where Ren got scared.

Lol Nako had to do all the work herself. Best name ever for a piece of art.

So in the last quarter of the series, and they send out... Minichi. What? In this clutch moment, you send her of all people out?

Well, Minichi has grown a bit during the series, upgrading from completely insufferable to Hiromi-lite, complete with the excessive apologies, detached personality and timely insults. Of course, Minko has much to learn from her predecessor, and that's style and grace. But hey, can this episode truly bring out the hater in her?

Sadly no. The whole argument about omelet rice or w/e just made me laugh. And sadly, they could not overcome the main problem with this character, and that is that anything serious involving her becomes unintentionally hilarious. There just seems to be many missed opportunity here.

On the other hand, Minko's rage shows us a little bit of her own frustration and hopefully she will learn from her weakness. She doesn't have a penis in this series, so she has a chance next episode.

Also, why the fuck is Yuina so annoying? It's like as if she's mad the camera's off her.

Also Einshi and Jinomaru showed up to fail again; Tomoe decides she's had enough of this shit, if that's all the screen time she gets.

Well, I did laugh at Ohana's weird fantasy, man I'm not even sure if that fantasy is even hers, rather it's the writers.

Overall, this episode had god awful pacing (VERY SLOW at parts) but at least it had funny points and opens up a chance for Minko to finally redeem herself once and for all.

I'll be nice and say 6/10

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